Gender Inequality - men more disadvantaged in developed nations

[alhoon]

A new, peer reviewed study, challenges the "traditional" Global Gender Gap Index that is commonly used for policy making. The researchers (using accessible and open data) argue that the GGGI is not completely adequate as it examines a number of parameters only when it comes to disadvantaging women, not either gender. Also they mention that GGGI trunctuates at "women treated equal to men" without examining if said measure is actually more favorable to women than men. There is also a list of issues that are ignored or understudied that disproportionally affect men that women including compulsory military service (men only can be conscripted in my country), more occupational deaths (men die more than women in the workplace), harsher punishment for men for the same crimes, etc.

The researchers suggest a new index that tries to capture the variation in gender inequality with inclusion of outcomes that can be favorable or unfavorable to either sex, not simply unfavorable to women.

I don't know if that index is the best. But I know that GGGI is not enough as it looks only through the lence of "women inequality." The trunctucation means that you go from negative to women to neutral.
To give you an extreme example, a law that said "men are not be able to own property until they are 40" or "women can retire 10 years earlier than men" would be considered "doesn't disadvantage women, no problem" for GGGI. Issues like "Most homeless are men" or "only men can be conscripted for military duty" are fine by the GGGI since they are not unfavorable to women, since the GGGI doesn't measure general gender inequality, but inequality to women. A Feminazi dystopia would get high GGGI scores.


The researchers found that in less developed countries, women are disadvantaged. In countries with high level of development, men are typically disadvantaged - but slightly.
I.e. indeed in the whole large world, women are more disadvantaged that men because some countries (and they are big countries) treat women very very bad and this cannot be offset by the slight advantage women have over men in the developed world.

However: as a person in the somewhat developed world, I want equality, I don't want to be disadvantaged just because women were disadvantaged in my country 50 years ago (or still are in rural areas). I also feel pity about my male buddies in more developed countries that are disadvantaged when it comes to women with less access to education, healthcare or job opportunities.

[Prodromos]

Does that study seriously say Saudi Arabia has gender equality?

[alhoon]

Does that study seriously say Saudi Arabia has gender equality?

I would personally call that an "outlier" of an imperfect index (as mentioned above) but the guys there have an answer for that in the discussion section. Whether that answer is satisfactory or not, is a different matter.
In short, no, Saudi Arabia doesn't have gender equality. Women fall way behind in opportunities, and men fall way behind in life expectancy and satisfaction with life. Yes, women in Saudi Arabia report being much happier with their lot in life than men in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is equally unequal if you want.

[z3n]

It's interesting they challenge preconceived notions and dialogue with a fresh perspective.

I read the write up and agree to an extent; I do believe however the media should focus on economic inequality instead of the issues they like to talk about lately (e.g. climate change & racial issues).

[Aexodus]

In the UK we have this thing called positive action, this study simply confirms what we already know. It is amusing, however, that positive action legislation in 2002 actually partly overturned the work of 2nd wave feminists in the 70s, undercutting the sex discrimination act by allowing certain discrimination under the guise of ‘equality’

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_...ates)_Act_2002
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/wo...sitive-action/

It’s interesting the old system was biased to highlight women’s issues.

The old outlook is doomed to fail, the more equality, the less equity in for example STEM subjects, ie equality=/=equity. If you minimise the cultural differences, you in turn maximise the biological.

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